] 


/ 


V  V 


3 


•  -  7  l 


s  IV  13  194 

^$”Bo 


/ 


X 


THE  MORNING  STAR. 


K.CJ 


^ntencBii  $<mrb  of  Commissioners  for  foreign  $flissious. 


MISSIONARY  PACKET  MORNING  STAR. 

The  Board  sent  its  first  missionaries  to  the  Sand¬ 
wich  Islands  in  the  autumn  of  1819.  That  entire 
group  is  now  Christian.  But  two  or  three  thousand 
miles  in  a  south-westerly  direction,  are  numerous 
clusters  of  islands,  extending  through  forty  degrees  of 
longitude  and  more  than  twenty  degrees  of  latitude, 
all  of  them  north  of  the  equator,  except  a  part  of  the 
Kingsmill  group.  This  section  of  the  Pacific  has  been 
called  “  Micronesia.”  The  islands  are  numerous,  but 
small,  as  the  name  indicates.  The  principal  groups  are 
Kingsmill,  Marshall,  Caroline  and  Ladrones.  Since 
1852,  missions  have  been  established  on  two  islands, 
distant  from  each  other  about  three  hundred  miles, 
known  by  the  names  of  “Strong”  and  “Ascension.” 
The  native  name  of  the  former  is  “  Oualan,”  of  the 
latter,  “Ponape.” 

There  being  no  reliable  means  of  communication 
with  those  parts  of  the  world,  it  became  necessary,  if 


4 


those  missions  were  to  be  sustained  and  others  estab¬ 
lished,  that  the  Board  should  have  a  vessel  at  its  com¬ 
mand,  to  visit  and  explore  those  remote  seas,  and  lend 
its  aid  in  many  ways.  Accordingly,  at  the  request  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands  and  Micronesia  Missions,  it 
was  resolved  to  build  a  missionary  packet  of  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  tons  burthen.  One  of  this  size, 
it  was  thought,  would  be  better  adapted  to  its  purpose, 
than  one  of  larger  dimensions.  In  three  months  from 
the  signing  of  the  contract,  she  was  launched  from  the  , 
ship-yard  of  Mr.  Jotham  Stetson  in  Chelsea,  near  Bos¬ 
ton.  In  the  opinion  of  competent  judges,  Mr.  Stetson 
deserves  much  credit  for  the  beauty  of  her  model,  and 
the  thoroughness  of  the  work. 

The  “  launch  ”  was  an  occasion  to  be  remembered 
by  all  who  witnessed  it.  More  than  three  thousand 
persons  were  thought  to  be  present — perhaps  four 
thousand — men,  women  and  children — the  latter  hav¬ 
ing  a  “  clear  majority.”  Her  name,  the  “  Morning 
Star,”  is  significant  of  the  work  she  is  to  do,  as  the 
herald  of  a  brighter  day  soon  to  dawn  on  those  “  dark 
places  of  the  earth.” 

When  it  had  been  decided  to  build,  an  “ appeal” 
was  issued  to  the  “  children  and  youth  ”  connected 
with  those  Reformed  Dutch,  Presbyterian  and  Con¬ 
gregational  Churches  which  sustain  the  Board,  to  fur¬ 
nish  the  requisite  funds.  The  estimated  cost  was  a 


5 


little  over  twelve  thousand  dollars  ;  the  actual  cost, 
including  extra  sails  and  some  items  of  outfit,  was  a 
little  over  thirteen  thousand  dollars.  The  sum  needed 
was  divided  into  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
shares,  at  ten  cents  each,  and  a  certificate  was  provided 
for  purchasers  of  one  or  more  shares.  It  was  also 
intimated,  as  a  desirable  thing,  that  all  the  shares  should 
be  taken  by  the  first  of  December,  when  the  mission¬ 
ary  packet  was  expected  to  sail.  With  admirable 
promptness  the  suggestion  was  carried  out.  On  the 
day  mentioned,  more  than  fourteen  thousand  dollars 
had  been  received,  and  the  tide  had  not  begun  to  ebb. 
And  now,  at  the  close  of  January,  1857,  two  months 
after  the  date  of  her  departure,  the  receipts  amount  to 
$26,500. 

She  sailed  from  India  wharf,  Boston,  the  second  day 
of  December,  1856,  at  ten  o’clock,  A.  M.,  and  went 
down  the  harbor  with  a  fair  wind,  under  the  command 
of  Capt.  Samuel  G.  Moore,  with  first  and  second  offi¬ 
cers,  steward  and  six  seamen,  all  selected  with  much 
care.  Before  reaching  Cape  Cod,  she  encountered  an 
easterly  storm  which  compelled  her  to  cast  anchor  near 
Race  Point.  But  though  in  considerable  peril,  she 
rode  out  the  gale  without  receiving  the  slightest  injury, 
and  then  went  on  her  way.  It  has  been,  with  some, 
a  matter  of  surprise  that  she  did  not  run  into  Prov- 
incetown  harbor.  But  this  was  impossible  at  the  time 


6 


she  cast  anchor  ;  and  when,  subsequently,  the  wind 
changed  and  became  a  gale  from  the  north-west,  she 
was  so  near  the  breakers,  that  she  could  not  leave  her 
position  without  aid  from  a  steamer. 

She  took  out  as  passengers  Rev.  Hiram  Bingham,  Jr., 
and  his  wife,  who  are  destined  to  Micronesia  as  mis¬ 
sionaries  of  the  American  Board.  Mr.  Bingham  is 
the  only  son  of  Rev.  Hiram  Bingham,  one  of  the  first 
company  of  missionaries  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  who 
sailed  from  Boston  thirty-seven  years  ago.  The  father 
was  present  at  the  embarkation  of  his  son,  and  assisted 
in  the  religious  services  held  on  the  occasion.  This 
son  was  born  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  but  educated  in 
this  country.  His  wife  was  Miss  Minerva  C.  Brew¬ 
ster,  of  Northampton,  Mass.  Mrs.  Jackson,  wife  of 
the  Postmaster  at  Honolulu,  with  her  little  child,  was 
also  a  passenger  in  the  Morning  Star. 

The  names  of  the  captain,  officers  and  crew  of  the 
missionary  packet,  Morning  Star,  may  be  of  some  inter¬ 
est  to  the  owners,  and  are  as  follows  : 

Samuel  G.  Mooue,  Putnam  Co.,  N.  Y.,  Captain. 

Peter  F.  Provost,  Belgium,  1st  Officer. 

Thomas  Johnson,  Denmark,  2d  Officer. 

Andrew  W.  Norris,  New  York,  Steward. 

N.  W.  Frost,  Dover,  N.  H.,  Seaman. 

George  Cummings,  Scotland,  Seaman. 

David  Ehler,  Nova  Scotia,  Seaman. 

John  Pomeroy,  Brixliam,  Devon,  England,  Seaman. 

John  Moody,  Malden,  Mass.,  Seaman. 

Charles  E.  Moore,  Middletown,  Ct.,  Seaman. 


7 


When  the  Packet  has  reached  the  Sandwich  Islands 

5 

the  seamen  will  be  discharged  to  make  room  for  native 
Hawaiians  as  sailors. 

Should  she  survive  the  “  perils  of  the  sea,”  she  is  to 
have  her  head-quarters  at  Honolulu.  From  thence 
she  will  in  due  time  sail  for  Micronesia,  and  with  some 
well  qualified  missionaries  on  board,  will  make  an  ex¬ 
ploring  trip  among  the  islands,  and  may  reasonably  be 
expected  to  furnish  the  world  with  some  valuable 
information  in  resrard  to  those  remote  and  interesting 

*  O  O 

regions,  so  rarely  visited  by  civilized  man. 


The  following  stanzas,  first  published  in  the  “Jour¬ 
nal  of  Missions  ”  for  October  last,  have  some  historical 
interest  in  this  connection. 


THE  MISSIONARY  SHIP. 

A  VISION. 

I  see  a  bright  and  beauteous  thing, 
Whatever  it  may  be  ; 

It  seems  a  bird  with  snowy  wing, 
Skimming  along  the  sea. 

It  sheds  a  radiance  all  around  ; 

Old  ocean  sweetly  smiles ; 

The  waves  leap  up  with  joyful  bound. 
And  hail  the  distant  Isles. 


8 


The  winds  are  wafting  it  along, 

It  moves  right  on  its  way ; 

It  hath  a  message,  hath  a  song  ; 

It  will  not,  cannot  stay. 

Ten  thousand  little  cherubs  play 
Above  it  and  about, 

And  in  their  own  sweet  cherub  way, 

Utter  a  cheering  shout. 

This  blessed  little  ship  they  love  ; 

It  is  the  “  Morning  Star,” 

Freighted  with  tidings  from  above, 

And  cometh  from  afar. 

’Tis  bound  for  Islands  fair  and  bright, 
Embosomed  in  the  sea  ; 

It  carries  love,  it  carries  light, 

Salvation  great  and  free. 

Beloved  youth,  and  children  dear, 

Came  with  their  little  stores, 

And  built  this  ship,  with  right  good  cheer, 

To  bless  those  distant  shores. 

Is  this  a  vision  of  the  night? 

Kind  children,  what  say  you  ? 

Ten  thousand  tongues,  and  bices  bright, 

Reply,  “  We’ll  make  it  true.”  p. 


9 


MISSION  SCHOOL  ENTERPRISE. 

We  sincerely  thank  our  young  friends,  the  stock¬ 
holders  in  the  “  Morning  Star/’  for  their  kindness,  and 
promptness,  and  generosity.  They  have  done  nobly. 
For  this  enterprise  nothing  more  is  needed.  We 
would  now  call  their  attention  to  a  new  project. 

The  schools  for  the  children  and  youth  in  the  mis¬ 
sions,  cost  about  $50,000  a  year.  Now  we  have 
divided  this  School  Fund  into  five  hundred  thousand 
shares  of  ten  cents  each.  If  they  should  all  be  taken, 
then  we  have  the  $50,000.  We  ask,  then,  will  not 
our  young  friends,  the  stockholders  in  the  “  Morning 
Star,”  and  others,  just  put  their  little  shoulders  to  this 
great  wheel  ?  Will  they  not  be  so  kind  as  to  show 
their  fathers,  and  mothers,  and  Sabbath  school  teachers^ 
and  every  body  else,  how  little  rain-drops  from  the 
clouds,  and  little  rivulets  from  the  mountains,  can  be¬ 
come  great  rivers,  and  whirl  rapidly  round  the  might¬ 
iest  engines  ever  built  by  man?  What  a  beautiful 
sight  it  would  be,  to  see  the  children  and  youth  of  this 
blessed  land,  sending  the  knowledge  of  the  Children’s 
Friend  to  the  poor  ignorant  children  and  youth  in 
the  dark  places  of  the  earth!  Surely  it  would  make 
angels  glad ;  and  the  gracious  Savior  himself  would 
be  pleased,  just  as  he  was  when  the  children  in  the 
temple  cried,  “  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David.”  Shall 
it  be  done  ?  If  so,  we  have  $50,000. 

The  certificate  for  stockholders  in  this  new  enter¬ 
prise  is  about  as  large  as  the  previous  one,  but  much 
more  beautiful.  The  little  picture  on  the  top  of  it 
represents,  on  one  side,  a  group  of  heathen  children 


10 


at  school,  some  sitting  on  the  ground,  as  they  do  in 
Asia,  with  books  in  their  hands,  and  some  standing  up 
with  turbans  on  their  heads.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
picture  is  a  group  of  American  children,  some  older 
and  some  younger,  who  have  come  with  their  dona¬ 
tions  to  help  on  the  heathen  schools.  Between  the 
two  groups  stands  the  missionary,  who  is  receiving  the 
gifts  from  the  children  and  youth  of  America,  and 
passing  them  over  to  the  children  and  youth  of  hea¬ 
then  lands.  In  the  back  ground,  a  little  way  off,  is 
seen  the  “Morning  Star”  at  anchor,  with  her  sails 
furled.  She  has  arrived,  and  the  missionary  has  be¬ 
gun  his  work,  and  he  wants  means  to  carry  on  his 
schools.  Will  you  help  him  ?  Still  further  off,  in 
the  back  ground  of  the  picture,  the  glorious  Sun  is 
rising  up  and  shooting  his  beams  in  all  directions. 
The  picture  is  small,  but  all  these  things  are  there, 
and  some  other  things  which  I  have  not  mentioned. 

Fifty  Thousand  Dollars  sounds  rather  large,  to 
be  sure  ;  but  then,  there  are  a  great  many  beloved 
children  and  youth  between  Maine  and  Minnesota — 
or  more  properly  between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific. 
If  they  should  all  take  hold  together,  we  incline  to 
think  the  “  great  wheel  ”  will  begin  to  move  round 
very  soon,  and  without  much  difficulty ;  and  possibly, 
by  the  end  of  next  December,  if  not  before,  the  shares 
will  all  be  taken. 

Missionary  House ,  Boston,  Feb .  5,  1857. 


11 


The  following  hymn  was  written  in  November, 
1819,  by  Mr.  William  B.  Tappan,  on  occasion  of  the 
departure  of  the  first  missionaries  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  and  was  sung  at  the  Islands  in  1853,  when 
the  first  missionaries  to  Micronesia  were  about  to  sail 
from  Honolulu. 

Wake,  Isles  of  the  South !  your  redemption  is  near ; 

No  longer  repose  on  the  borders  of  gloom  ; 

The  Strength  of  His  chosen  in  love  will  appear, 

And  light  shall  arise  on  the  verge  of  the  tomb. 

The  billows  that  gird  ye,  the  wild  waves  that  roar, 

The  zephyrs  that  play  when  the  ocean-storms  cease, 

Shall  bear  the  rich  freight  to  your  desolate  shore. 

Shall  waft  the  glad  tidings  of  pardon  and  peace. 

On  the  Islands  that  sit  in  the  regions  of  night. 

The  lands  of  despair,  to  oblivion  a  prey, 

The  Morning  will  open  with  healing  and  light, 

The  glad  Star  of  Bethlehem  will  usher  the  Day. 

The  altar  and  idol  in  dust  overthrown, 

The  incense  forbade  that  was  offered  in  blood, 

The  Priest  of  Melchisedeck  there  shall  atone, 

And  the  shrines  of  Hawaii  be  sacred  to  God  l 

The  heathen  will  hasten  to  welcome  the  time, 

The  day-spring  the  prophet  in  vision  once  saw, 

When  the  beams  of  Messiah  shall  gladden  each  clime, 
And  the  Isles  of  the  Ocean  shall  wait  for  his  law. 

And  thou  Obookiaii  !  now  sainted  above, 

Wilt  rejoice  as  the  heralds  their  mission  disclose  ; 

And  the  prayer  will  be  heard  that  the  land  thou  didst  love , 
May  blossom  as  Sharon,  and  bud  as  the  rose  ! 


12 


The  following  donations  for  the  “  Morning  Star,” 
had  been  received  from  the  several  States  and  Terri- 
ories,  and  other  sources,  on  the  31st  of  January, 
1857. 


MAINE,  .... 

$  1,701  09 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE, 

1,187  77 

VERMONT, 

981  74 

MASSACHUSETTS,  . 

6,690  01 

CONNECTICUT, 

2,796  24 

RHODE  ISLAND,  . 

409  98 

NEW  YORK, 

5,928  19 

NEW  JERSEY,  . 

1,277  89 

PENNSYLVANIA,  . 

1,293  94 

DELAWARE,  . 

72  70 

MARYLAND,  . 

37  00 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA, 

64  45 

VIRGINIA, 

64  60 

OHIO,  .... 

1,132  35 

INDIANA,  .... 

327  14 

ILLINOIS,  .... 

1,031  48 

MICHIGAN, 

398  51 

WISCONSIN,  . 

267  28 

IOWA,  .... 

205  74 

MISSOURI, 

96  33 

ARKANSAS, 

5  00 

LOUISIANA, 

50  10 

MISSISSIPPI,  . 

50  00 

ALABAMA, 

8  50 

GEORGIA, 

22  45 

SOUTH  CAROLINA, 

7  00 

NORTH  CAROLINA, 

4  00 

TENNESSEE,  . 

76  79 

KENTUCKY, 

13  85 

CALIFORNIA,  . 

61  08 

MINNESOTA  TERRITORY, 

37  55 

NEBRASKA  TERRITORY, 

1  00 

FOREIGN  LANDS  AND  MISSIONARY 

STATIONS, 

• 

• 

• 

.  275  42 

$26,577  17 


